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British retail sales rose 1.2 per cent in April, significantly overshooting analysts’ expectations as warm weather encouraged consumers to spend more.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected the volume of goods sold to rise 0.2 per cent in the month, after a revised increase of 0.1 per cent in March.
Friday’s monthly data from the Office for National Statistics showed that sales in food stores grew strongly, which retailers attributed to the good weather, according to the ONS.
The Met Office said that last month was the sunniest April since records began in 1910.
ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said the weather had helped to boost sales across most retail sectors.
“After a poor couple of months, food sales bounced back, with supermarkets reporting robust sales, while it was also a positive month for butchers and bakers, alcohol and tobacco stores,” she said.
However, clothing sales fell in the month, despite “a brighter picture for department stores and household good shops”.
Sales volumes rose by 1.8 per cent in the three months to April compared with the previous quarter, the largest three-monthly growth in nearly four years, the ONS said. Sales volumes reached pre-pandemic levels, rising 0.3 per cent above the February 2020 figure, for the first time since July 2022.
The figures give some reassurance about the health of the consumer sector, in a month that saw sharp rises in uncertainty over US trade tariffs and rising utility bills and taxes, such as UK road tax and stamp duty.
Neil Birrell, chief investment officer at Premier Miton Investors, said: “The retail sales data for April shows that the UK consumer is out and about consuming. Any concerns over energy price increases and council tax hikes don’t seem to have had an immediate impact on spending habits.”
Some consumers benefited from the increase in the national living wage which took effect last month. Mortgage rates had also declined in April on expectations that the Bank of England would cut interest rates for the fourth time since the summer of 2024 in early May. As expected, the bank lowered borrowing costs by a quarter point to 4.25 per cent.
Separate data on Friday from research company GfK showed that UK consumer confidence rose three points to minus 20 in May, after US President Donald Trump’s tariff blitz resulted in a four-point drop in April.
